WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Special Assistant to the Administrator for Middle East George Laudato administered the oath of office to Senior Foreign Service Officer Robert Wilson as the new USAID Mission Director to Yemen.

At approximately 5:00pm and 6:00pm local time, two C-130 military transport planes will be landing in Djerba, Tunisia delivering humanitarian supplies from the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the Peace Corps, an inspiring agency that has brought peace and friendship to communities around the world. Since its creation, over 200,000 Americans have made the commitment to dedicate part of their lives and work in 139 total countries.

Today, Dr. Robert E. Wuertz was sworn in as the new Mission Director for Macedonia for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The oath was administered by USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah.

Zanzibar celebrated the handover of the highly successful Zanzibar Teacher Upgrading by Radio Project (ZTUR) to the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training on February 23rd, 2011 at the National Teacher Resource Center. The handover ceremony was jointly presided by the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Scott and Zanzibar's Minister of Education and Vocational Training Ramadhan Abdulla Shabaan.

Officials from the U.S. Government and the Government of Southern Sudan joined Western Equatoria State authorities and members of the Maridi community to inaugurate the town's first power generation and electricity distribution system. The Maridi community participated during the construction phase of the project by taking part in stakeholder meetings to decide on the type of utility to be built, providing most of the local labor force for construction activities, and utilizing local materials from Maridi.

Mark Lopes, USAID Deputy Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean and Maria Cristina Lazo, Executive Director of the International Cooperation Agency of Chile (AgCI), signed a Memorandum of Understanding to pursue joint development cooperation in third countries.

In response to the earthquake in New Zealand and upon request from the New Zealand government, the United States is deploying a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). The Response Team will include the Los Angeles County (California) Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue team (USAR) to assist with the search and rescue efforts.

WASHINGTON, DC - Michael E. Hase, 62, was arrested in Dulles, Virginia yesterday by Federal agents of the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Hase was arrested on an embezzlement charge stemming from his work as a controller for USAID, announced Ike Hendershot, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations.

300 million fewer women than men own and access mobile phones in the developing world, according to a report released in 2010 by GSMA, the world's largest mobile industry association. The report highlights the barriers facing women's adoption of mobile technologies in the developing world.

Today, USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah presented the David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In his comments, Dr. Shah issued a challenge to the development community around a set of transformational goals. He also reaffirmed USAID's commitment to the President's Global Health Initiative.

BRASÍLIA, Brazil - USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Mark Lopes and Minister Marco Farani of the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation (ABC) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a professional staff exchange program between their agencies. Beginning in April, each agency will host a staff member in their offices to share expertise and collaborate on joint programs to facilitate peer-to-peer learning on donor best practices around the world.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On February 15th, USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah will deliver the David E. Barmes Global Health Lecture at the National Institutes of Health. This appears to be the first address to NIH staff at-large by a sitting USAID Administrator. In his remarks, Dr. Shah will chart a course forward for President Obama's Global Health Initiative and issue a challenge to the development community around five transformational goals.

Over the next three days more than 900 leaders and experts from agriculture and health will gather in New Delhi, India to amplify the important linkage between nutrition and agriculture in poverty reduction. The focus of the International Food Policy Research Institute's (IFPRI) 2020 Conference, "Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health", reflects the emphasis of the international community's increased efforts to improve undernutrition, which is an essential component of the USG's Feed the Future and Global Health Initiatives.

WASHINGTON, DC - USAID Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Mark Feierstein and Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo A. Valenzuela will travel to El Salvador from February 9-11. Feierstein and Valenzuela seek to deepen and enhance El Salvador's bilateral partnership with the United States, through the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development. The delegation will also discuss joint efforts to ensure the safety and security of Salvadoran citizens and will meet with political and private sector leaders.

In response to a request from the South African Government, USAID through the South Africa mission will provide emergency relief services to flood-impacted South Africans in the Free State province. USAID will provide $50,000 in assistance to Rescue South Africa (RSA) to assist disaster managers in setting up working groups to evaluate the damage, help formulate a repair and recovery strategy, estimate the cost of repairs and materials, and make repairs and disbursement the funds.

The implementation of U.S. civilian assistance programs in Pakistan continues to face challenges, amid the aftermath of unprecedented flooding in the country, continued security threats, and the loss of Ambassador Holbrooke's leadership in development assistance efforts.

USAID through PEPFAR has joined forces through a public-private partnership between Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Baylor College of Medicine International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative (BIPAI), and the Government of Tanzania to help fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic with the opening of a new pediatric facility "Center of Excellence." The center will serve children and families in Mwanza, Tanzania and its surrounding regions; providing much needed access for a population of almost 9 million people.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide additional food assistance to Liberia for refugees who have fled post-election violence in Cote d'Ivoire. Soon after the violent outbreak, USAID's Office of Food for Peace authorized the use of food commodities already in Liberia for emergency food assistance for the first Ivorian refugees who crossed the border.